Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2000

Tornado Warning 20, NWS Fort Worth, TX

May 12, 2000Hill County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this tornado warning at May 12, 2000, 5:14 PM CDT for Hill County, Texas. It was in force for 31 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 12, 2000, 5:14 PM CDT (22:14 UTC)
Expired
May 12, 2000, 5:45 PM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Hill County, TX

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 12, 5:45 PM CDTHail 1Lake Whitney, TXOccurred on the east side of the lake.

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 12, 5:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Fort Worth, TX (KFWD), launched 12:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 88 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Fort Worth, TX at 12:00Z on 2000-05-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1679 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Fort Worth, TX at 12:00Z on 2000-05-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 355 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1679 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-556 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
907 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
355 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
486 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WFUS54 KFWD 122216 COR
TORFTW
TXC217-122245-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING...CORRECTION TO DELETE ELLIS COUNTY CODING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
514 PM CDT FRI MAY 12 2000

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT WORTH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  HILL COUNTY  

* UNTIL 545 PM CDT.

* AT 514 PM CDT...THE WHITNEY FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED A TORNADO
  BETWEEN LAKE WHITNEY STATE PARK AND WHITNEY.  THIS STORM WAS MOVING
  EAST AT SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

MOVE TO A STURDY LOCATION IMMEDIATELY.

LAT...LON 3196 9746 3183 9731 3213 9690 3231 9710

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Fort Worth, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at May 12, 3:20 PM CDT, 1 hour 54 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 12, 3:20 PM CDT, 1 hour 54 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
320 PM CDT FRI MAY 12 2000

A COLD FRONT THAT WAS SOUTHEAST OF A MCALESTER...TO FORT WORTH...TO
BROWNWOOD LINE AT 20Z...WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF
FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING.  ALTHOUGH THE 18Z FWD RAOB INDICATED THAT
WE STILL HAVE A STRONG CAP IN PLACE...COULD SEE SOME DEVELOPMENT
LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT EAST OF THE FRONT.  WILL KEEP 20
PERCENT POPS IN THE METROPLEX AND WACO...AND 30 PERCENTS IN THE EAST.
TEMPERATURES BEHIND THIS FRONT ARE NOT TERRIBLY COOL...WITH 70S
BEING NOTED ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA.  THERE IS A
WIDE DIVERGENCE IN THE FORECASTED HIGH TEMPERATURES BETWEEN THE
FAN AND FWC GUIDANCE.  CONSIDERING THE AMOUNT OF COOLING NOTED...AM
LEANING CLOSE TO...BUT SLIGHTLY BELOW THE THE FWC GUIDANCE FOR
SATURDAY.  DRY WEATHER WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA SATURDAY
THROUGH MIDWEEK.   #58

DFW 62/82/56/83 2000   ACT 63/84/57/82 2000

.FTW...NONE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 12, 12:20 PM CDT, 4 hours 54 minutes before
TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-122100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH TEXAS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
1220 PM CDT FRI MAY 12 2000

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE EASTERN
TWO THIRDS OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING...
ALONG AND EAST OF A SHERMAN TO FORT WORTH TO KILLEEN LINE.  THE
RISK AREA INCLUDES THE CITIES OF PARIS...WACO...TEMPLE...
HILLSBORO...PALESTINE...CORSICANA AND THE DALLAS/FORT WORTH
METROPLEX.

A COLD FRONT EXTENDED FROM NEAR GAINESVILLE TO EASTLAND AT NOON.
THIS FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST AROUND 25 MPH AND MAY PROVIDE THE
FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM FORMATION THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING.
ONE LIMITING FACTOR TO STORM FORMATION WILL BE A FAIRLY DEEP WARM
LAYER OF AIR JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE.  THIS WARM AIR OR CAP MAY
PREVENT STORM FORMATION OR DELAY IT UNTIL LATE THIS AFTERNOON.
SHOULD THE CAP BREAK THIS AFTERNOON...MOIST AND VERY UNSTABLE AIR
AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL BE READILY AVAILABLE TO PRODUCE STRONG
UPDRAFTS...RESULTING IN POTENTIALLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. LARGE HAIL
AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREATS.  THE VERTICAL WIND
PROFILES ARE NOT FAVORABLE FOR PRODUCING STRONG MESOCYCLONES...SO
TORNADOES ARE NOT EXPECTED WITH THIS EVENT.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS AND STORM SPOTTERS ALONG AND EAST OF A
SHERMAN TO FORT WORTH TO KILLEEN LINE SHOULD PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE
ACTIVATION BETWEEN 100 PM AND 500 PM.  ACTIVATION ALONG AND EAST OF A
PARIS TO CORSICANA TO CAMERON LINE IS POSSIBLE BETWEEN 500 AND
900 PM.

FOR HAZARDOUS WEATHER/THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOKS FOR ADJACENT AREAS...SEE
OKCSPSOKC (NORTHWESTERN TEXAS...WESTERN AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA)...
OKCSPSTUL (EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS)...NEWSPSSHV
(NORTHEAST TEXAS...NORTHWESTERN LOUISIANA...EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN
OKLAHOMA AND SOUTHWESTERN ARKANSAS)...SATSPSHOU (SOUTHEAST TEXAS)...
SATSPSSAT (SOUTH CENTORAL TEXAS)...AND LBBSPSSJT (WEST CENTRAL TEXAS).

79
Special weather statement, May 12, 4:06 PM CDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-130100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH TEXAS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
406 PM CDT FRI MAY 12 2000

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE EASTERN
HALF OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS THIS EVENING...GENERALLY EAST OF A
BONHAM...HILLSBORO...KILLEEN LINE.  THE SLIGHT RISK AREA INCLUDES
THE CITIES OF PARIS...SULPHUR SPRINGS...WACO...TEMPLE...PALESTINE...
CORSICANA AND CENTERVILLE.

A COLD FRONT EXTENDED FROM NEAR A SHERMAN...TO CLEBURNE...
TO LAMPASAS LINE LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THIS FRONT WILL MOVE
EAST/SOUTHEAST AROUND 25 MPH AND MAY PROVIDE THE FOCUS FOR
THUNDERSTORM FORMATION.  A WARM LAYER OF AIR...OR CAP...JUST ABOVE
THE SURFACE WILL BE A LIMITING FACTOR TO STORM DEVELOPMENT...
HOWEVER...ANY STORMS WHICH DO MANAGE TO BREAK THE CAP HAVE THE
POTENTIAL TO QUICKLY BECOME SEVERE IN THE MOIST AND VERY UNSTABLE AIR
AHEAD OF THE FRONT.  LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE
PRIMARY THREAT WITH THESE STORMS.  THE VERTICAL WIND PROFILES ARE NOT
FAVORABLE FOR PRODUCING STRONG MESOCYCLONES...SO TORNADOES ARE NOT
EXPECTED WITH THIS EVENT.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS AND STORM SPOTTERS WEST OF A PARIS
TO CORSICANA TO TEMPLE LINE SHOULD PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION
BETWEEN 500 AND 700 PM.  ACTIVATION EAST OF THIS LINE IS POSSIBLE
BETWEEN 700 AND 900 PM.

FOR HAZARDOUS WEATHER/THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOKS FOR ADJACENT AREAS...SEE
OKCSPSOKC (NORTHWESTERN TEXAS...WESTERN AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA)...
OKCSPSTUL (EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS)...NEWSPSSHV
(NORTHEAST TEXAS...NORTHWESTERN LOUISIANA...EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN
OKLAHOMA AND SOUTHWESTERN ARKANSAS)...SATSPSHOU (SOUTHEAST TEXAS)...
SATSPSSAT (SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS)...AND LBBSPSSJT (WEST CENTRAL TEXAS).

79

The office that day

Everything else NWS Fort Worth, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 12, 4:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHill45 min
May 12, 5:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDFannin45 min
May 12, 5:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDEllis56 min
May 12, 5:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDEllis, Hill63 min
May 12, 5:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDCollin56 min
May 12, 5:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDLamar55 min
May 12, 5:37 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDBosque23 min
May 12, 5:43 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDCollin32 min
May 12, 5:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDRockwall25 min
May 12, 5:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDLampasas37 min
May 12, 6:01 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDMcLennan44 min
May 12, 6:01 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDDelta29 min
May 12, 6:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDallas39 min
May 12, 6:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHunt45 min
May 12, 6:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDelta46 min
May 12, 6:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDMcLennan45 min
May 12, 6:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHopkins57 min
May 12, 6:50 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDCoryell25 min
May 12, 6:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDKaufman53 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 2000Every tornado warning in 2000Tornadoes in 2000

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.